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So I had my D* installed back in October, and I've noticed that we seem to be having a problem losing our service during storms, usually right before the storm gets here, during the storm, and a few minutes after, and then it comes back up. I found this template on this site, and I was hoping you all could tell me how my signals look. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!

My setup is 1 HR34 and 3 H25's with a Slimline 5 dish and SWM. It's a completely calm and clear night outside with not a cloud in the sky, so I figured it would be perfect to get the best signal readings. Also, I live just south of Albany, NY.

Satellite transponders (32 total at 101º)

[Most of your standard definition channels are beamed from 101ºW]

1-8 96 96 95 97 95 100 96 100

9-16 96 97 96 97 96 100 97 100

17-24 96 100 96 95 97 100 97 100

25-32 96 100 96 72 98 100 96 100

Satellite transponders (3 total at 110º)

[Not present with Slimline3 dish. No channels are currently beamed from this satellite]

Those signal readings are pretty good. Check them again the next time you have "rain fade" and post them back here. Your problem might actually be related to moisture getting inside a coax cable connector, or perhaps a defective dish LNB.

I would disagree with litzdog (sorry!). You have several signals on 99c, 103ca and 103cb down in the 70s or low 80s, and those are way below DirecTv's install verification (quality control) levels. All the signals on 99c, 103ca and 103cb should be in the high 80s at least, preferably low to mid 90s. A dish realignment should get your signals into this range. This should give you a chance of reducing the outage time due to weather.

I had a simillar problem. All my sat readings were very good but any kind of rain would knock out my viewing. The dish had been realigned because of a new LNB and was on the money. I noticed that the tech had split and spliced the coax near the dish so he could get his meter in line so I got my ladder to take a look at the splice. It looked OK but I took a good grade of electrical tape and wrapped the splice. No more rain problems so I would say any coax connection that is exposed to the weather is suspect. Tape is cheap and you might be surprised.

Hi All
I had a simillar problem. All my sat readings were very good but any kind of rain would knock out my viewing. The dish had been realigned because of a new LNB and was on the money. I noticed that the tech had split and spliced the coax near the dish so he could get his meter in line so I got my ladder to take a look at the splice. It looked OK but I took a good grade of electrical tape and wrapped the splice. No more rain problems so I would say any coax connection that is exposed to the weather is suspect. Tape is cheap and you might be surprised.

SSTV

I will never recommend using electrical tape, because water WILL still get in but will be harder to evaporate

Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits. The rebels.
The the troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.

The ones who see things different.
They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo.

I had a simillar problem. All my sat readings were very good but any kind of rain would knock out my viewing. The dish had been realigned because of a new LNB and was on the money. I noticed that the tech had split and spliced the coax near the dish so he could get his meter in line so I got my ladder to take a look at the splice. It looked OK but I took a good grade of electrical tape and wrapped the splice. No more rain problems so I would say any coax connection that is exposed to the weather is suspect. Tape is cheap and you might be surprised.

SSTV

The OP wrote the rain fade starts just before the storm gets there. So if the dish isn't wet yet, then its a LOS issue. Likely that the storm is between the dish and SAT.

I agree with others. Get those 99c and 103c readings up by at least 10 points. Won't stop the fade but will reduce the lack of signal time.

The rain fade will be worst when the storm center is between the dish and the satellites. Rain at the dish itself isn't the major problem, unless you have a faulty connector or an LNB with a cracked cover.

I don't know anything about signal readings on the HD sats but his Ku band readings look excellent. After 13 years with DirecTV, I know exactly how rain fade works. Sometimes it's very weird because the sun could be shining and the channels drop out. A quick visit to an internet weather radar site confirms what is going on. A big thunderstorm to the Southwest right in the path from the dish to the satellites is the reason!

Anyway, rain fade can be expected in heavy downpour storms. But after suffering with cable for 9 years it's a joke compared to all of their outages. Granted, cable doesn't usually suffer from rain fade but when they have an outage it lasts for hours not minutes like a rain fade. Usually when it's storming so hard that the signal drops below the threshold I generally have my DirecTV receivers unplugged from the wall as well as my TV sets (like I did this morning when a big thunderstorm came through).

Losing the signal during a storm is really to be expected. The heavy rain clouds associated with severe storms are going to result in signal loss. I find that with normal or heavy rain, my signal is fine, but if a storm passes over head, I will lose signal until it has passed. If I total up the loss of signal in terms of time though, it's less than an hour per year......nearer 40 minutes actually.

Losing the signal during a storm is really to be expected. The heavy rain clouds associated with severe storms are going to result in signal loss. I find that with normal or heavy rain, my signal is fine, but if a storm passes over head, I will lose signal until it has passed. If I total up the loss of signal in terms of time though, it's less than an hour per year......nearer 40 minutes actually.

I've already passed the 40 minute mark awhile ago. For me, it can sometimes be 40 minutes per storm.

I think you should tweak / peak out your numbers or have it done by DTV.

I am in the south also and we get a lot of stuff that comes in from the Gulf and out of the Northwest. My times are usually about 5 to 10 minutes. Once in a great while mine will be 20 minutes with a slow moving storm.

I would disagree with litzdog (sorry!). You have several signals on 99c, 103ca and 103cb down in the 70s or low 80s, and those are way below DirecTv's install verification (quality control) levels. All the signals on 99c, 103ca and 103cb should be in the high 80s at least, preferably low to mid 90s. A dish realignment should get your signals into this range. This should give you a chance of reducing the outage time due to weather.

Well I can't speak for the minimum IV acceptance signal levels for TS' locale texasbrit;

But here in the LA market my levels for 103ca have always been in the mid-70s with an occasional transponder or two making it into the low 80s at times. And 99c and 103cb always span the 80s with almost no transponder ever in the 90s.

Yet every time I've had a service call with an IV retest on the WO, it always passes.

Go figure ...

Guess its because we don't get a lot of storms here in So. Cal. as to why those so-so Ka band numbers pass IV.

I've already passed the 40 minute mark awhile ago. For me, it can sometimes be 40 minutes per storm.

If you lose the signal for 40 minutes during ONE STORM and the National Weather Service isn't predicting Flash Flooding for your area your dish needs to be re-aimed or checked for a problem. If the signal is just barely making it with no storm, any rain at all will cause your picture to go out.